buying a computer in china - system issues

[onebir]

i just went to buy a laptop at bainaohui in chaoyang. the problem is, they all seem to have win XP chinese installed, and my reading certainly isn't up to that. so i asked about the options:

dealer A said they could install a language 'banr" (pack?) over chinese win XP. and also offered to install an english win xp for free - but not to provide the CD. They said there was a system restore function that would reinstall the system if necessary, and i'd be able to get the live updates.

dealer B just said it would be RMB1000 for an english system

so here's my long list of questions:

1) do all international pc brands have win xp chinese installed?

2) is the language pack option a good idea?

3) is dealer A's english system genuine?

4) if not, what problems could arise?

5) could i install english xp pro over chinese xp home when i get back to europe, to at least avoid paying for xp home twice?

[Ninja]

You can get a PC with a genuine English version of XP installed and get the CD but will need to shop around and be very insistent about what you want - don't hand over the cash until you have seen the software. It is easier if you are dealing with a shop that deals exclusively in a big-name brand I have found and you will find most of these up in ZhongGuanCun. You might also want to explore buying online through DELL or another brand - I have heard they will supply English language software.

If you don't get genuine software then the Windows auto-update feature is likely to not work or stop working some time in the future. You can certainly buy genuine boxed English language versions of XP at BaiNaoHui if you wanted to install the software yourself.

[Battosai]

1) do all international pc brands have win xp chinese installed?

Sadly ,yes. Some brands offer the cheaper DOS because many costumers (like me) don't want to pay an extra 100$ for Windows when there are better operating system available for free on the internet (Linux...) or when they can get pirated copies for 10 kuai.

2) is the language pack option a good idea?

The language packs they refer to might be MUI. MUI is an expensive Microsoft application that allows you to chose the language the menus are displayed in. But MUI can only be installed on an English version Windows, as far as I know there is no way to make a Chinese language Windows display it's menus in English (but the other way around is possible).

3) is dealer A's english system genuine?

It's possible (Compaq does that I know) but the system restore option is not a very good idea. It's basically reinstalling your whole system , if you use it you will lose all your data and settings , some of those sys-restore CD don't even have a disc partition utility. If you pay for Windows make sure you get the CD (it's supposed to have some sort of registration number on the back)

4) if not, what problems could arise?

At the moment ,MS update (for English language system only) include a validation utility that checks if your system is authentic. If not , you just get an annoying message saying "you might be a victim of software pirates" or something similar. Security updates are still available though. The situation might change. Please note that buying XP doesn't mean you can upgrade to Vista (which will come out soon) for free.

5) could i install english xp pro over chinese xp home when i get back to europe, to at least avoid paying for xp home twice?

If you mean wipe your hard disk and reinstall Windows yes. If you upgrading then no. Windows can only be upgraded in the same language

My suggestion is buying a computer with DOS

Install a pirated Windows (am I allowed to say that?) and wait for Vista , I'm sure you will be able to enjoy security updates untill Vista comes out. When it does you can decide if you want to buy Vista, buy XP or use your money for better purposes and install the superior Linux.

Just make sure your new computer's specs are high enough for Vista's crazy hardware demands....

[onebir]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention i'm buying a laptop... it seems like most of the major brands (which i need for servicing outside china purposes) come with chinese windows pre-installed - if i'm paying for windows, i want a version i can use and not have to throw away.

i thought dell was an exception - i seem to remember the option to select english windows in the customisation menus. but now i can't find it.

[roddy]

Have you given Chinese windows a shot? If you are familiar with windows then the chances are you know where everything is already - I switched to Chinese windows when I bought an IBM laptop here about two years ago, and the only time it was an issue was when trying to read through help files while troubleshooting a wireless connection. You can still install applications (which after all are the part of the computer you actually use) in English if you want. If you aren't a particularly fluent computer user then the language might be more of a hassle though.

Dell still seems to have the option for English OS though - see here.

[onebir]

trying to read through help files while troubleshooting a wireless connection

just the sort of thing i'm worried about...

the link for dell is session dependent, i think, so it doesnt go through to anywhere useful for me. there doesn't seem to be the option to get english os on an inspiron 640m-n, as far as i can see, but maybe the salesperson can request it...

[roddy]

Yeah, link doesn't seem to be working now - however, I got there on a random laptop via the 'buy / customize' link.

Your call of course, but I don't think you'd need the help files that often - and when you do, you're as well off doing a Google search (assuming you can get online )